Love...

We are absolutely in love with these pictures.

Go check them out here.

Thank you Anjuli, your work is beautiful!

It is no fun being sick.

Poor little Emma has a darn bug.

She woke up several times last night screaming and then started puking at 3 am.

It was a really rough morning, the poor kid couldn't keep anything down.

I stayed home from work with her today.

And we spent most of our day just like this.

Douggie came home this evening and Emma was feeling a little better.

She watched Shrek again... I think it was the 10th time today.

But it didn't last for long because she passed out super early.

Fingers crossed she is feeling better tomorrow.

I hate seeing her sick.

Ethan's Birthday Party.

This afternoon we helped celebrate Ethan's 3rd Birthday.

It was at a really fun place called Play Werks in Carlsbad.

We had so much fun there and we really want to go back and play again.

Jillian bouncing with her Uncle Ron.

The fun part is that the adults get to climb around with the kids.

This was really nice because Emma is still a bit young to do it all on her own.

All day yesterday and all day today, Emma was telling us she wanted "happy cake."

She was thrilled when it was time for happy cake.

She loved sliding with Daddy.

And with Mama.

She convinced Maggie to go on the big slide with her lots.

During presents, she opened up her toolbox goodie bag and found a lollipop.

Then she decided that 2 lollipops are even better.

Yum... bubblegum and blueberry.

Happy Birthday Ethan!

We had lots of fun at your party.

Yummy!

Friday evening we went out to dinner with Papa and Abuelita.

Emma was a good girl during dinner, so we told her she could have a treat.

You should have seen her eyes light up when she saw this...

and she went straight in for a big bite without the spoon.

And she loved every bite of it.

A little project.

We had this crazy big DVD storage thing.

It held lots of DVD's, but it was big, black and really unstable when you opened the doors.

I have been keeping my eyes out for something fun and different to store them in, and I found it on Friday.

Here is this little dresser that I found.

I forgot to take a picture before I took the knobs off, but you get the idea.

It was a whopping $20 at the thrift store.

I had looked all over for traditional DVD storage, but they just weren't right.

I wanted something kind of fun.

After a deep cleaning, dusting and painting, it turned out perfectly.

Emma even enjoyed pretending one of the drawers was her boat.

AFTER

I love it!

I realize that it is really bold and really green, but that is what makes it fun.

Besides, it is almost completely hidden behind the couch so it is not completely distracting in the room.

Emma's 2 year check up

This afternoon, Emma had her 2 year check up with Dr. McCormick.

We tried to take a couple of pictures while waiting for the doctor, but this kid does not sit still.

Dr. McCormick says that she is perfect and hitting all of the 2 year milestones.

She says she looks as healthy and bright as can be.

Here are her stats:

Head - 47 cm 35%

Weight - 24 lbs 15%

Height - 35 inches 70%

We love her to pieces and are so lucky she is so healthy!

Our weekend at the desert.

We had a great trip out to Ocotillo this weekend.

We invited Papa, Abuelita and JuJu along for all of the fun.

Emma slept the entire drive out and woke up right when we turned off the highway and on to the dirt. She rubbed her little tired eyes and then excitedly yelled "dirt!'

She loves the dirt (desert).

Getting ready for Friday's campfire.

I love that I caught AJ and Melissa's silhouette in the background.

They were up watching the sunset on the hill.

JuJu and Emma played so well together all weekend.

They spent most of their time playing in the dirt.

Emma thought she was so funny wearing Mama's riding boots.

She got tired of trying to walk so she just sat on them.

Papa and Abuelita on their way out for a ride.

Brigitte took Emma out for a ride in the car.

Emma was in heaven!

I love these two little cousins!

Saturday night at the fire, Douggie had both kids on his lap.

They were beat after a long day playing in the dirt.

It was a Mexican food buffet for our big dinner night.

So good!

And for dessert... Bill's peach cobbler of course!

Another fun time and lots of laughs with everyone.

A fun visit with Grandma & Grandpa Stephens

We were lucky enough to have Douggie's parents come into town last Thursday for a little visit.

It was so fun to spend Emma's birthday weekend with them.

Since we didn't get to see them over Christmas, we celebrated it during their trip.

We even put up a small Christmas tree to make it feel like Christmas still.

After Emma's Birthday Party on Saturday, Uncle Andy and Tami came over for a visit as well.

We celebrated Christmas again with Tami.

A little Stephens family picture.

Sunday Afternoon, we celebrated Grandma Cherie's Birthday a little early.

Sunday night we went out for Sushi.

Turns out they were much more into having the Teriyaki.

They were brave and tried a couple things of sushi.

They both said that they actually like the Crunchy Roll, which is my favorite.

Emma enjoyed lots of time together with her Grandma and Grandpa.

Thank you so much for a great visit!

Emma's 2nd Birthday Circus

Saturday afternoon, Emma celebrated her Birthday with Family and Friends.

We held her party at East Valley Community Center, and we all had a great time!

We didn't go as crazy as we did last year for her party, but we still had fun decorating and preparing. Well, at least I did.

The kids loved the candy table. They all went home on crazy sugar highs... sorry parents.

We were lucky because they let us use they pee wee play time stuff, so all of the kiddos were thoroughly entertained.

Emma wore the shirt I made for her.

We were able to use the #2's that Great Grandpa Bob made for JuJu's Birthday when he turned 2. We hung them from the ceiling and Emma kept yelling "2."

Thank you GG Bob!

The cake walk was lots of fun!

Emma and Nicolas

He is just 1 day older than Emma.

A great big THANK YOU to all of our friends and family who joined us.

An even bigger THANK YOU to everyone who helped set up and clean up.

And the biggest THANK YOU to Douggie and Emma for putting up with all of my crazy party planning ideas.